Voluntary Reporting Incentives and Reporting Quality: Evidence from A Reporting Regime Change for Private Firms in Taiwan

This paper examines the effect of voluntary financial reporting on firms' reporting quality using a reporting regime change in Taiwan. Before 2001, Taiwan's Company Act imposed a mandatory public reporting requirement of filing audited financial statements on private firms with contributed capital exceeding a certain threshold. This requirement was rescinded in 2001 and private firms since have had discretion over public financial reporting. We divide private firms retroactively into two groups: voluntary reporting firms, those continuing the practice of filing financial statements after the regime change; and nonvoluntary reporting firms, those discontinuing the reporting practice after the regime change. We find that financial reporting quality is higher for voluntary reporting firms than for nonvoluntary reporting firms and that this quality difference translates into a lower cost of debt for voluntary reporting firms. Our results support the view that reporting incentives play an important role in determining reporting quality.     

企业财务报告质量问题及其治理对策

近年来,一些企业采用编造、变造、伪造等手法粉饰财务报告,以失真的财务信息误导企业利益相关者的行为十分普遍,严重扰乱了经济秩序,动摇了投资者的信心,对我国经济造成严重损害。本文对该问题产生的原因进行了分析,并根据财务报告应＂客观、充分地反映会计主体的财务状况、经营成果和现金流量,为利益相关者提供有用的财务信息＂的要求提出了治理对策。     

Target Financial Reporting Quality and M&A Deals that Go Bust*

This study investigates the role of financial reporting quality in merger and acquisition (M&A) deals that are ultimately terminated (i.e., go bust). If a target is a U.S. publicly traded company, an acquirer’s initial assessment of the potential benefits associated with the acquisition of the company is based on publicly available information. Generally, the acquirer obtains limited private information from the target prior to announcing the deal, but engages in transactional due diligence after signing the acquisition agreement to affirm that the financial reporting warranties made by the target are accurate. We construct a low‐quality financial reporting score based on measures prior research identifies as being associated with less reliable, less relevant, and less precise financial reporting. We find that acquirers offer higher premiums for targets with low‐quality financial reporting. However, we also find that low‐quality financial reporting increases the likelihood of deal renegotiation, and contributes to the probability of deals going bust. We document that failed targets are more likely to restate their financial statements after the announcement of the deal, supporting our conjecture that low‐quality financial reporting contributes to deals being terminated. Our research develops a new measure of low‐quality financial reporting, documents that the measure is related to M&A deal outcomes and financial restatements, and provides insights into the consequences of M&A transactional due diligence.     

The Association between the Legal and Financial Reporting Environments and Forecast Performance of Individual Analysts*

We test the ability of analyst characteristics to explain relative forecast accuracy across legal origins (common law versus civil law). Common‐law countries generally have more effective corporate governance mechanisms, including stronger investor protection laws and inputs provided through higher‐quality financial reporting systems. In this type of environment, we predict that analysts with superior ability and resources in common‐law countries will more consistently outperform their peers because appropriate market‐based incentives exist. In civil‐law countries, where the demand for earnings information is reduced because of weaker corporate governance mechanisms and lower‐quality financial reporting, we predict that analysts with superior ability will less consistently provide superior forecasts. Results are consistent with our expectations and suggest an association between legal and financial reporting environments and analysts' forecast behavior.     

金融危机与汇率制度的选择

在发展中国家汇率制度改革问题上,两极论已成为国际学术界的主流观点。然而,一些学者对这一观点的合理性一直持怀疑态度。90年代以来,采用两极汇率制度国家的增加为两极论提供了有利依据,但另一方面,一些名义上采用自由浮动汇率制的国家仍然频繁干预外汇市场的行为,又为两极论提供了不利证据。针对这一现象,一些学者认为,在IMF和美国政府的压力下,一些国家不得不采用名义上的自由浮动汇率制,但这并不意味着发展中国家真正放弃了中间汇率制度选择。     

The Impact of Legal and Voluntary Investor Protection on the Early Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)

Summary Prior studies explain the early adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by firm-specific benefits. However, IFRS adoption also leads to increased disclosure and reduced accounting choices, resulting in a loss of private benefits for company insiders. This paper argues that this loss depends on characteristics of the institutional environment (i.e. the level of investor protection). We find that in countries with strong laws or extensive corporate governance codes IFRS is more likely adopted as the loss of private benefits for company insiders is smaller. Furthermore, corporate governance recommendations are as effective as laws in stimulating IFRS adoption and become more important when laws are weaker. We thank the FWO for the financial support (FWO-project G.0244.02). We gratefully acknowledge the comments of the participants of the 26th Annual European Accounting Association Congress in Seville (2003), and of the International Accounting Section Mid-year Conference of the American Accounting Association in San Diego (2004). We acknowledge the comments of the discussant and participants of the Accounting Research Day in Antwerp (May 2004). Special thanks go to M. Willekens, J. Suys, and W. Landsman and two anonymous referees.     

Business Strategy,Financial Reporting Irregularities,and Audit Effort

This study examines whether clients' business strategies are a factor in determining the occurrence of financial reporting irregularities and the level of audit effort. We use the organizational strategy theory of Miles and Snow to develop a comprehensive measure of business strategy using publicly available data. We find that Miles and Snow's Prospector strategy is more likely to be involved in financial reporting irregularities and generally requires greater audit effort. The business strategy measure also appears to capture client business risk and provides incremental explanatory power beyond the individual measures of client complexity or risk used in traditional audit fee models. We contribute to the literature by constructing a replicable business strategy measure and identifying organizational business strategy as an important ex ante determinant of financial reporting irregularities and levels of audit effort. Our results suggest that investigating how audits can be improved to reduce financial reporting irregularities among Prospector clients is an important area for audit practice and future research.     

Legal Theories of Financial Development

This paper examines legal theories of international differencesin financial development. The law and finance theory stressesthat legal traditions differ in terms of (i) their emphasison the rights of private property owners vis-à-vis thestate and (ii) their ability to adapt to changing commercialand financial conditions, so that historically determined legaltraditions shape financial development today. Other theoriesreject the centrality of legal tradition in accounting for cross-countrydifferences in financial development. The results are broadlyconsistent with legal theories of financial development, thoughit is difficult to identify the precise channel through whichlegal tradition influences financial development.     

Cumulative Prospect Theory and Managerial Incentives for Fraudulent Financial Reporting

Using samples of restating and nonrestating U.S. firms, the study empirically investigates the relationship between the incidence of fraudulent financial reporting and accounting‐based performance outcomes. The outcomes are framed as gains and losses relative to a reference point, defined as the mean performance of industry peers. Consistent with cumulative prospect theory (CPT), the findings show that fraud incidence is positively (negatively) related to the probability of a loss (gain); more (less) sensitive to the probability of a loss (gain) (i.e., loss‐aversion); and more (less) sensitive to an extra unit of the probability at a high‐ or low‐ (medium‐) probability level (i.e., nonlinear probability weighting function). The study extends the fraudulent financial reporting literature by formulating fraud incidence as a function of performance outcomes using peer performance as a reference point. By testing CPT's individual‐level behavioral implications on firm‐level archival data, the study reconceptualizes the investigation of fraudulent financial reporting in terms of risk attitude and extends prior investigations of CPT from laboratory experiments to a real‐world setting of fraudulent financial reporting.     

Strategic Tax and Financial Reporting Decisions: Theory and Evidence*

This paper examines the effect of book‐tax differences on the probability that a transaction is audited and the probability that additional taxes are collected. It constructs a stylized model in which the taxpayer reports both financial accounting income and taxable income. The government observes both reports before deciding whether to conduct an audit. The analysis of the equilibrium yields two hypotheses. First, the probability that the government will audit a transaction is higher if the transaction generates a positive book‐tax difference (e.g., an expenditure that is deducted for tax purposes but capitalized for financial reporting purposes) than if the transaction generates no book‐tax difference. Second, conditional on being selected for audit, transactions with and without book‐tax differences are equally likely to have detected understatements of tax liability. These hypotheses are tested using Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data from the Coordinated Examination Program. The empirical tests are consistent with the predictions of the strategic tax compliance model.     

我国政府财务报告的现状、问题和对策

改革政府财务报告是当前国际社会共同关注的会计问题之一。从世界范围看,建立一套完整的政府会计准则体系,定期编制政府财务报告,反映政府财务信息已成为国际上加强政府公共管理、提高财政透明度的重要手段和通行惯例。我国已提出“立党为公、执政为民”的执政纲领和建立透明政府、绩效政府的目标。财政从单纯“分配”向综合“管理”转型,这需要改革政府会计及其报告制度。本文对政府组织活动、政府会计报告、美国政府会计的规范与报表、我国政府预算会计体系的现状和问题,以及改进政府会计报告及其分析方法的对策和建议进行阐述。这将有利于改革和完善我国政府财务报告制度,以及信息使用者的决策分析。     

新兴市场的汇率制度选择、金融约束与经济增长

本文通过构造一个基于金融环境约束的开放经济体跨期模型,对不同汇率制度面临不同名义冲击下的经济绩效进行了比较,结果发现由于浮动汇率对于宏观经济的冲击吸收能力依赖于该国金融环境的发展条件,因此新兴市场的汇率制度退出和转轨决策应当着眼于克服金融约束的关键性门槛.本文的跨国经验分析也进一步证实了模型的结论.     

地方政府网络财务报告的若干牵扯因素:346个地级市样本

为提高政府财务透明度,各级政府逐渐采纳网络方式向公众披露财务信息。以我国346个地级市政府为样本,从网络财务报告披露的内容与可达性角度考察地方政府网络财务报告。结果显示,地方政府规模、居民(城镇居民和农村居民)人均可支配收入以及地方政府富裕程度与政府网络财务报告内容深度相关;而政府网络财务报告可达性则受到地方政府规模、农村居民人均纯收入以及地方政府富裕程度等因素的影响。     

Regulatory Oversight of Financial Reporting: Securities and Exchange Commission Comment Letters

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reviews company filings (10‐Q, 10‐K, S‐1, etc.) submitted to them. If a review identifies potential deficiencies, the SEC staff sends the company a comment letter seeking clarification, additional information, and ultimately, perhaps, revision of the filing or future filings. We examine the content, resolution, and ensuing informational consequences of SEC comment letters. The content analysis shows that nearly half of all comments involve accounting application, financial reporting, and disclosure issues. More than 17 percent of our sample cases result in immediate amended filings to resolve the issue(s) arising from the comment letters, and financial statements and/or footnotes are frequently revised. Following comment letter resolution, the adverse selection component of the bid‐ask spread declines and Earnings Response Coefficients (ERCs) increase. Our results provide little support for the conjecture that the market interprets the receipt of a comment letter as a signal that the firm has poor reporting quality. Finally, we find no evidence that comment letter firms increase the quantity or change the type of voluntary disclosure, thereby eliminating a possible competing explanation for the improved information environment. We conclude the SEC's oversight has beneficial informational effects.     

金融创新的激励与法律保护

2002年11月国内媒体披露了美国花旗银行从1996年起共向我国知识产权局申请了19项商业方法类专利的消息。商业方法能够申请专利，这对于当时国内银行来说几乎是闻所未闻。花旗银行的专利申请无疑对国内银行未来的电子金融和电子商务带来了重大的挑战。面临外资银行严峻挑战，国内银行如何应对，如何利用知识产权这把双刃剑在竞争中占有优势，已经成为国内各银行最为关注的问题。     

Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards Has Enhanced Chinese Company Transparency

The research reported here shows that China＇s recent adoption （ASBE） has increased the quality of Chinese financial reporting of Accounting Standards for Business Enterprises With China＇s decade of World Trade Organization （WTO） membership marked by dazzling economic growth, it is useful to reflect on how financial reporting itself can assist in the country＇s future progress. Critical to the success of ensuring strength for this burgeoning economy is attraction of foreign investment capital. As China＇s internal consumption grows,     

The Economic Impact of the Lack of Transparency in Financial Reporting

Off-balance-sheet amounts are in the trillions of dollars, not including all transactions with off-balance-sheet implications. Financial managers and consultants intentionally structure transactions that are abusive of off-balance sheet accounting rules, which leads to a lack of transparency in financial reporting. This paper explores several ways in which companies manipulate off-balance sheet transactions to satisfy personal and business objectives as well as the impact of such manipulations. It is time for regulatory bodies to close the loopholes, eliminate overly rules-based standards, clearly state the economic objective of each standard, and require firms to disclose the economic motivations for the accounting practices they adopt.